Staff Reporter
National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF) signed Grant Implementation Agreement with a Joint Venture of Agha Khan Foundation (AKF) Pakistan and Aga Khan Planning and Building Services (AKPBS), for providing grant financing up to Rupees 579.621 million for the project titled “Promoting Integrated Mountain Safety in Northern Pakistan (PIMSNP)”. The agreement signing ceremony was held at NDRMF office on Wednesday.
NDRMF is committed to make Pakistan resilient while ensuring involvement and ownership of local communities in its Disaster Risk Management (DRM) interventions along with building their capacity in an institutionalized manner.
General Manager Program and Operation Group NDRMF, Khurram Khaliq Khan and Director, Rural Development, Civil Society & Habitat, Mr. Irshad Khan Abbasi signed the contract designed to better protect and enhance resilience of communities vulnerable to the negative impacts of multiple natural hazards.
In addition, prior to this NDRMF has also signed agreement with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and Islamic Relief Pakistan (IRP).
The currently agreed project with Agha Khan Foundation total cost is PKR 834.606 Million, with NDRMF share of 70% (amounting to PKR 579.621) of total project cost and Agha Khan Foundation share of 30% (amounting to PKR 254.985).
The duration of this project is eighteen months in which various interventions will be carried out including Early Warning Systems (EWS), Physical infrastructure interventions (included flood protection walls, retrofitting of schools), Community mobilization for formation of community level disaster risk management committees at local / revenue village & union council levels and capacity building in Community Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM) and Formation of Community Emergency Response Teams along with provision of emergency response tool kits. The proposed interventions are in line with National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) and National Flood Protection Plan (NFPP-IV).
The outcome of this project is to better protect and make resilient the communities vulnerable to the negative impacts of multiple hazards in northern areas of Pakistan including Mansehra, Chitral, Gilgit, Skardu, Ghanche and Hunza.
Disasters cannot be prevented but their impacts can be reduced by increasing risk awareness and enhanced preparedness to take informed decisions that will reduce vulnerability and exposure to hazards. NDRMF has made significant progress for grant financing to Fund Implementing Partners (FIPs) for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) projects. NDRMF is a nonprofit company incorporated with Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan under section 42 of Companies Ordinance 1984, established to make investments in projects meant to mitigate disaster risks and mandated to align overall strategic priorities to National Disaster Management Plan (2012-2022) and National Flood Protection Plan IV (2015-2025).
